Drop draw/extrude (DD/E) printing method
A drop draw and extrusion method that creates anchor points around, within, or around and within, the region where a two dimensional fibrous architecture is deposited. Between the anchor points, a nozzle translates at high speeds to draw, extrude, or draw and extrude (depending on the print settings), a filament from the nozzle and build a two dimensional network of filaments connected by the anchors. Webbed architectures fabricated using the methods described herein exhibit superior structural properties.
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The present disclosure describes novel additive manufacturing methods and structures fabricated using the same.
2. Description of the Related ArtAdditive Manufacturing (AM) is a process by which three dimensional parts are made one layer at a time. In a typical example, an AM machine deposits material in molten form onto a build platform. The material is solidified on the build platform to form a layer of the part. Once a single layer of the part has been completed, the AM machine or build plate moves away in one layer increments and the AM machine proceeds to deposit the next layer of material. A common type of AM process is known as Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), an extrusion-based process that feeds thermoplastic in solid wire form from a nozzle and then melts the wire into a shape that is then re-solidified. However, the FDM process has several limitations including (1) slower manufacturing times because the nozzle is in close proximity to the substrate and the thermoplastic needs time to bond, (2) the diameter of the extruded filament being larger than is desirable for some applications (3) inability to control the physical properties of the filament with sufficient precision, and (4) requiring the use of flat substrates because the close proximity of the nozzle to the substrate may cause collisions with non-flat substrates. As a result, conventional FDM is not capable of fabricating more complex AM structures having specially tailored properties.
What is needed, then, is an additive manufacturing technique that can rapidly fabricate a wider range of structures having tailored properties (e.g., where the properties are locally tailored in two dimensions). The present disclosure satisfies this need.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure describes a method for manufacturing a structure, comprising: (a) depositing material (124) from a print head (102) so as to create a first anchor (116a) at a first position (116b) on a substrate; (b) depositing the material (124) from the print head (102) so as to create a second anchor (116c) at a second position (116d) on the substrate and laterally separated from the first position (116b); (c) drawing a filament (600) of the material (124) extending from the first anchor (116a) to the second anchor (116c), comprising creating a vertical space between the substrate (112) and the print head (102), laterally moving the print head (102) or the substrate (112) or the print head (102) and the substrate (112) relative to one another so as to position the print head (102) above the second position (116d), and moving the substrate (112) and the print head (102) towards one another so as to connect the filament (600) to the second anchor (116c); and (d) repeating steps (a)-(c) so as to construct a pattern of the filaments (600) connecting a plurality of the anchors (114a, 114c).
Examples of print conditions during creation of the anchors and/or drawing of the filaments include, but are not limited to, the following.
1. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108); and controlling the nozzle's (108) temperature, the speed of the nozzle (108) relative to the substrate (112), the nozzle's height above the substrate (1120, and a flow rate of the material (124) from the nozzle (108) so as to fabricate the filaments (600) having different properties at different two dimensional positions (114b, 114d) above the substrate (112), including different tensile strengths.
2. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108); and moving the nozzle (108) or the substrate (112) or both the nozzle (108) and the substrate (112) relative to one another and controlling a flow rate of the material (124) so as to form the anchors (114a, 114b) having a minimum diameter in a range of 0.25-mm to 2.0-mm. In one or more examples, the filament diameter is in a range of 1.5-35% of the minimum diameter of the anchors (114a, 114b).
3. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108); and moving the nozzle (108) or the substrate (112) or both the nozzle (108) and the substrate (112) relative to one another, controlling a flow rate of the material (124) in a range of 0.045-0.5 grams/minute (g/m), controlling a speed of the nozzle (108) relative to the substrate (112) in a range of 1 to 310 mm/second, controlling a height of the nozzle (108) above the substrate (112) in a range of 0.2-5 millimeters (mm), so as to form the filaments (600) having a diameter in the range of 30-450 micrometers. In one or more further examples, the filaments (600) have a filament diameter in a range between 80-200 microns.
4. Positioning the nozzle (108) at a height in a range of 2-5 mm above the substrate (112) so as to form the filaments (600) having a filament diameter in a range of 1.5-62% of a minimum diameter of the anchors (114a, 114b).
5. Moving the nozzle (108) at a speed relative to the substrate (112) in a range of 50 to 300 mm/seconds.
6. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108); and positioning the nozzle (108) at a height in a range of 2 to 5 mm above the substrate (112) so as to draw the filaments (600) having a filament diameter in a range of 7-100% of the nozzle (108)'s diameter. In one or more examples, the nozzle's diameter is in a range from 0.2-0.5-mm.
7. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108); and laterally moving the nozzle (108) or the substrate (112) or both the nozzle (108) and the substrate (112) relative to one another at a height in a range from 2 to 5-mm above the substrate (112). In one or more examples, the height of the nozzle (108) during creation of the anchors (114a, 114b) is in a range of 0.1 mm-0.4 mm. In one or more further examples, the height is in a range of 4 to 5 mm while drawing the filaments (600) laterally and the height of the nozzle (108) during creation of the anchors (114a, 114b) is in a range of 0.2 mm-0.4 mm.
8. Feeding a thermoplastic from the nozzle (108) and drawing the filament (600) using the nozzle (108) at a temperature 30 to 70° C. above a melting point of the thermoplastic. In one or more examples, the temperature is 30 to 50° C. above the melting point.
9. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108) at a flow rate in a range of 0.045-0.5 grams/minute (g/m). In one or more examples, the flow rate is in a range of 0.045 g/min to 0.1 g/min.
10. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108); and moving the nozzle (108) or the substrate (112) or both the nozzle (108) and the substrate (112) relative to each other, controlling a speed of the nozzle (108) relative to the substrate (112), controlling the nozzle's (108) temperature, and controlling a flow rate of the material (124) from the nozzle (108), so as to fabricate the pattern comprising the filaments (600) disposed in a web.
The present disclosure further describes a structure (700), comprising a plurality of anchors (114a, 114b) on a substrate (112); and a two dimensional network (702) of interconnected filaments (600) comprising a material (124) drawn between the anchors (114a, 114b), wherein the anchors (114a, 114b) have a minimum diameter in a range of 0.25-mm to 2.0-mm, the filaments (600) have a diameter in the range of 30-400 micrometers, the filaments (600) have a height in a range from 2 to 5-mm above the substrate (112), and the two dimensional network (702) has a maximum length in a range of 5 cm to 10 meters.
In one or more examples, the two dimensional network (702) is an adhesive or mechanical interlocking device, or a (e.g., thermoplastic) veil (700b) for reinforcing a composite. In one or more examples, the interconnected network (702) comprises a web (800) including a plurality of the filaments (600) disposed so as to form nested rings (802) and a plurality of the filaments (600) disposed so as to radially connect the nested rings (802).
Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout.
In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and which is shown, by way of illustration, several embodiments. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Technical Description
The present disclosure describes an additive manufacturing technique, termed drop-draw extrusion (DD/E), enabling greater control of additively deposited filaments that are drawn and/or extruded from an additive manufacturing (AM) machine.
The machine 100 can drag and draw a filament of the material (124) extending from the first anchor 116a at a first position 116b on the substrate 112 to the second anchor 116c at a second position 116d on the substrate 112, by creating a vertical space 118 between the substrate 112 and the print head 102 above the first position 116b of the first anchor 114a, laterally moving (in an x-y plane 120) the print head 102 or the substrate (112), or both the print head (102) and the substrate 112 relative to one another so as to position the print head 102 above the second position 116d and drag and draw the filament between the first position 116b and the second position 116d, and moving the substrate 112 and the print head 102 towards one another in the vertical direction 122 so as to connect the filament to the second anchor 116c. Material (124) may be dragged across from one anchor point to another repeatedly to make a pattern of material (124) and the vertical space and lateral translation can be achieved by moving the nozzle (108) and/or the print bed (114).
In one or more examples, the anchor (116a, 116b) is defined as a substrate, foundation, and/or source for the filament (600, 110) providing the material (124) for the filament (600, 110) and/or providing something for the filament (600,110) to stick to once the filament (600) is formed.
Block 200 represents creating (e.g., printing) an anchor (e.g., first anchor (116a) or anchor point) on a surface of a substrate 112. In one or more examples, the anchor (116a, 116b) is defined as a substrate, foundation, and/or source for the filament (600, 110) providing the material (124) for the filament (600, 110) and/or providing something for the filament (600,110) to stick to once the filament (600) is formed. In one or more examples, material (124) is deposited from an outlet (e.g., nozzle 108)) onto the substrate using the machine illustrated in
Block 202 represents creating a space between the substrate and the outlet (e.g., nozzle (108)). In typical examples, either the nozzle translates upwards or the substrate translates downwards. For example, after the nozzle (108) deposits an anchor (116a) directly onto the surface of a substrate, the build platform drops away (e.g., vertically) from the nozzle (108) (or the nozzle (108) translates upward or vertically from the substrate) creating a large space between the substrate and the nozzle (108) while extruding/drawing a filament from the nozzle (108), as illustrated in
Block 204 represents laterally and/or vertically (e.g., horizontally and/or vertically or simultaneously horizontally and vertically) moving the outlet (e.g., nozzle 108) or the substrate (112), or both the outlet and the substrate (112) relative to one another so as to position the outlet above the second position (116d) on the substrate. In one or more examples, the step includes moving the substrate (112) and/or print head (102) so as to) translate the print head (102) in mid-air (i.e., with vertical space between the nozzle (108) and the substrate (112)) while drawing/extruding the filament from the outlet. A string of thin deposition is created mid air (with vertical space between the nozzle (108) and the substrate (112)) by this movement, e.g., as illustrated in
Block 206 represents stopping the outlet and/or the substrate (112) so as to position the outlet at a next location (e.g., second position 116d) above the substrate (112).
Block 208 represents moving the outlet and/or substrate together again at the next location/position of the next anchor point (e.g., second anchor 116c), e.g., as illustrated in
Block 210 represents repeating at least Block 200 to create a second anchor (116c) point on the substrate at the next location, e.g., as illustrated in
Steps 200-210 may be repeated in sequence a plurality of times to create a plurality of anchor points and laying material from one anchor to another as the outlet draws or pulls a filament extending from one anchor to the other. In this way, a two dimensional structure or architecture comprising the filaments (600) connecting anchor points is constructed.
The process may control the form and size of architectures in a single flat/curved plane as opposed to creating a thick “3D” object. In various examples, the architectures or patterns 700c can be deposited on a moving “roller” device, or directly onto a reinforcement.
Moreover, control of the process parameters and inputs (nozzle speed, nozzle position, nozzle temperature, and/or material flow rate from the nozzle) enables the simultaneous and/or independent control of diameter of the filaments (600) (can be controlled at a given location by depositing material according to a power law as described below). In various examples, diameter of the filaments is controlled by the nozzle speed relative to the substrate and/or the amount of material/feed rate). The action of dragging the material controls the thickness of diameter of the filament (e.g., dragging the material thins the material). Thin filaments can be strong but light. In one or more embodiments, the material (e.g., thermoplastic) content is minimized by reducing the diameter so as to reduce weight while keeping a threshold strength.
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- direction of filaments (600) (controlled by movement of the nozzle in an x-y plane);
- location of the filaments (600);
- material properties of the filaments (600). In one or more examples, surface morphology of the filaments is controlled by (speed of the nozzle relative to the substrate, temperature of the nozzle, moisture content (steam creates bubbles and roughness on material) and/or position of the nozzle.
- variation of fibrous architecture (e.g., throughout the same interlaminar region) in the same manufacturing step (multiple architectures in the same step) using the same AM machine. For example, direction of the filaments (600), spacing of the filaments (600), and filament diameter, and aerial weight can be varied as a function of position in the x-y plane.
In one or more embodiments, drawing straight sections of (e.g., thermoplastic) filaments (600) between two “anchor points” at high speed reduces the filament diameter, uses less material, provides extended control over the thermoplastic material properties on a localized basis, and increases manufacturing speed.
Examples of print conditions during creation of the anchors and/or drawing of the filaments include, but are not limited to, the following.
1. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108); and controlling the nozzle's (108) temperature, the speed of the nozzle (108) relative to the substrate (112), the nozzle's height above the substrate (1120, and a flow rate of the material (124) from the nozzle (108) so as to fabricate the filaments (600) having different properties at different two dimensional positions (114b, 114d) above the substrate (112), including different tensile strengths.
2. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108); and moving the nozzle (108) or the substrate (112), or both the nozzle (108) and the substrate (112) relative to one another/each other and controlling a flow rate of the material (124) so as to form the anchors (114a, 114b) having a minimum diameter in a range of 0.25-mm to 2.0-mm. In one or more examples, the filament diameter is in a range of 1.5-35% of the minimum diameter of the anchors (114a, 114b).
3. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108); and moving the nozzle (108) or the substrate (112), or both the nozzle (108) and the substrate (112) relative to one another/each other, controlling a flow rate of the material (124) in a range of 0.045-0.5 grams/minute (g/m), controlling a speed of the nozzle (108) relative to the substrate (112) in a range of 1 to 310 mm/second, controlling a height of the nozzle (108) above the substrate (112) in a range of 0.2-5 mm, so as to form the filaments (600) having a diameter in the range of 30-450 micrometers. In one or more further examples, the filaments (600) have a filament diameter in a range between 80-200 microns.
4. Positioning the nozzle (108) at a height in a range of 2-5 mm above the substrate (112) so as to form the filaments (600) having a filament diameter in a range of 1.5-62% of a minimum diameter of the anchors (114a, 114b).
5. Moving the nozzle (108) at a speed relative to the substrate (112) in a range of 50 to 300 mm/seconds.
6. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108); and positioning the nozzle (108) at a height in a range of 2 to 5 mm above the substrate (112) so as to draw the filaments (600) having a filament diameter in a range of 7-100% of the nozzle (108)'s diameter. In one or more examples, the nozzle's diameter is in a range from 0.2-0.5-mm.
7. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108); and laterally moving the nozzle (108) or the substrate (112), or both the nozzle (108) and the substrate (112) relative to one another/each other at a height in a range from 2 to 5-mm above the substrate (112). In one or more examples, the height of the nozzle (108) during creation of the anchors (114a, 114b) is in a range of 0.1 mm-0.4 mm. In one or more further examples, the height is in a range of 4 to 5 mm while drawing the filaments (600) laterally and the height of the nozzle (108) during creation of the anchors (114a, 114b) is in a range of 0.2 mm-0.4 mm.
8. Feeding the material (124) comprising a thermoplastic from the nozzle (108) and drawing the filament (600) using the nozzle (108) at a temperature 30 to 70° C. above a melting point of the thermoplastic. In one or more examples, the temperature is 30 to 50° C. above the melting point.
9. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108) at a flow rate in a range of 0.045-0.5 grams/minute (g/m). In one or more examples, the flow rate is in a range of 0.045 g/min to 0.1 g/min.
10. Feeding material (124) for the anchors (114a, 114b) and the filaments (600) from a nozzle (108); and moving the nozzle (108) or the substrate (112), or both the nozzle (108) and the substrate (112) relative to one another/each other, controlling a speed of the nozzle (108) relative to the substrate (112), controlling the nozzle's (108) temperature, and controlling a flow rate of the material (124) from the nozzle (108), so as to fabricate the pattern comprising the filaments (600) disposed in a web.
Controlling Material Properties
Control of printing parameters assists in producing high-performance interlayer technologies comprising laminated composite material with tailored properties for particular system applications. Conventional assembly techniques can only process at a single setting for the entire architecture, and therefore cannot vary material properties on a location by location basis as provided for by exemplary embodiments described herein.
Example Structures
The structure 700 illustrated in
The methods described herein also allow for multiple architectures to exist in the same interlaminar region (e.g., the architecture can be varied on a location by location basis) in the same manufacturing step.
Applications of the two dimensional fibrous architectures are not limited to veils or a toughening architectures. In other examples, the two dimensional structure is used as an adhesive or mechanical interlocking device. In one example, the adhesive comprises one surface including the two dimensional network of filaments and another surface including hooks, wherein the surfaces are adhered when the hooks hook onto the filaments.
Advantages and Improvements
Conventional FDM creates 3D parts by depositing layers of thermoplastic on top of one-another (layer by layer). However, this process has the following drawbacks as compared to exemplary drop draw extrusion methods described herein:
(1) FDM is slow—because the nozzle is in close proximity to the preceding layer, and the thermoplastic needs time to bond to the preceding layer, the feed rate (rate at which the nozzle translates) is slower than achievable using exemplary DD/E methods.
(2) The diameter of filament that is produced using FDM is larger than achievable using exemplary DD/E methods. Moreover, the DD/E method described herein is capable of producing a larger range of repeatable thermoplastic filament diameters as compared to conventional FDM.
(3) Conventional FDM is performed on flat substrates to avoid collision of the nozzle with the substrate which could occur on curved or non-flat substrates (resulting in failed prints). Illustrative DD/E methods, on the other hand, are capable of depositing on non flat (e.g., curved) substrates because the DD/E process does not deposit material directly on top of a preceding layer, instead, only anchor points are formed on the substrate and there is a large space between the substrate and the nozzle while drawing/extruding the filaments from the nozzle. As a result the nozzle can translate at much higher speeds without the risk of collision with the substrate. The larger space between the nozzle and the substrate also reduces the likelihood of print head collisions between the substrate and the two dimensional printed architecture, improving reliability and success rate of the process.
(4) Large conventional industrial equipment that is run in batches can only create large areas of a single, non varying, architecture. Their major drawback is the inability to vary direction, diameter, form, and physical properties of the architecture on a location by location basis as can be achieved using exemplary DD/E methods described herein.
Processing Environment
The computer 1102 comprises a processor 1104 (general purpose processor 1104A and special purpose processor 1104B) and a memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 1106. Generally, the computer 1102 operates under control of an operating system 1108 stored in the memory 1106, and interfaces with the user/other computers to accept inputs and commands (e.g., analog or digital signals) and to present results through an input/output (I/O) module 1110. The computer program application 1112 accesses and manipulates data stored in the memory 1106 of the computer 1102. The operating system 1108 and the computer program 1112 are comprised of instructions which, when read and executed by the computer 1102, cause the computer 1102 to perform the operations herein described. In one embodiment, instructions implementing the operating system 1108 and the computer program 1112 are tangibly embodied in the memory 1106, thereby making one or more computer program products or articles of manufacture capable of controlling AM process parameters including, but not limited to, filament feed rate and nozzle temperature, speed, and position, in accordance with the design of the structures being fabricated. As such, the terms “article of manufacture,” “program storage device” and “computer program product” as used herein are intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer readable device or media. In one or more examples, the computer program is implemented in a numerical control programming language.
Those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications may be made to this configuration without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, those skilled in the art will recognize that any combination of the above components, or any number of different components, peripherals, and other devices, may be used.
CONCLUSIONThis concludes the description of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of rights be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.
Claims
1. A method for manufacturing a structure, comprising:
- forming a plurality of anchors comprising a first anchor and a second anchor, including:
- (a) depositing material from a print head, creating the first anchor at a first position on a substrate;
- (b) depositing the material from the print head, creating thia second anchor at a second position on the substrate and laterally separated from the first position; and
- (c) drawing a filament of the material extending from the first anchor to the second anchor, comprising creating vertical space between the substrate and the print head, laterally moving the print head or the substrate or both the print head and the substrate relative to one another so as to position the print head above the second position, and moving the substrate and the print head towards one another so as to connect the filament to the second anchor; and
- (d) repeating steps (a)-(c) so as to construct a pattern of the filaments connecting the plurality of the anchors.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating of the anchors and/or the drawing comprises:
- feeding material for the anchors and the filaments from a nozzle; and
- controlling the nozzle's temperature, a speed of the nozzle relative to the substrate, the nozzle's height, and a flow rate of the material from the nozzle so as to fabricate the filaments having different properties at different two dimensional positions above the substrate, including different tensile strengths.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating of the anchors and/or the drawing comprises:
- feeding material for the anchors and the filaments from a nozzle; and
- moving the nozzle or the substrate, or both the substrate and the nozzle relative to one another and controlling a flow rate of the material so as to form the anchors having a minimum diameter in a range of 0.25 millimeters (mm) to 2.0-mm.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating of the anchors and/or the drawing comprises:
- feeding material for the anchors and the filaments from a nozzle; and
- moving the nozzle or the substrate, or both the substrate and the nozzle relative to one another, controlling a flow rate of the material in a range of 0.045-0.5 grams/minute (g/m), controlling a speed of the nozzle relative to the substrate in a range of 1 to 310 mm/second, and controlling a height of the nozzle above the substrate in a range of 0.2-5 mm, so as to form the filaments having a diameter in a range of 30-450 micrometers.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the filaments have a filament diameter in a range between 80-200 microns.
6. The method of claim 4, further comprising positioning the nozzle at a height in a range of 2-5 mm above the substrate so as to form the filaments having a filament diameter in a range of 1.5-62% of a minimum diameter of the anchors.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the filament diameter is in a range of 1.5-35% of the minimum diameter of the anchors.
8. The method of claim 4, wherein the drawing comprises moving the nozzle at a speed relative to the substrate in a range of 50 to 300 mm/seconds.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- feeding the material for the anchors and the filaments from a nozzle; and
- positioning the nozzle at a height in a range of 2 to 5 mm above the substrate so as to draw the filaments having a filament diameter in a range of 7-100% of the nozzle's diameter.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the nozzle's diameter is in a range from 0.2-0.5-mm.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein:
- the creating of the anchors comprises feeding the material for the anchors and the filaments from a nozzle; and
- the drawing comprises laterally moving the nozzle or the substrate, or both the substrate and the nozzle relative to one another at a height in a range from 2 to 5-mm above the substrate, and
- a height of the nozzle during the creating of the anchors is in a range of 0.1 mm-0.4 mm.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the height is in a range of 4 to 5 mm while drawing the filaments laterally and the height of the nozzle during creation of the anchors is in a range of 0.2 mm-0.4 mm.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating of the anchors comprises feeding the material comprising a thermoplastic from the nozzle and drawing the filament using the nozzle at a temperature 30 to 70° C. above a melting point of the thermoplastic.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the temperature is 30 to 50° C. above the melting point.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating of the anchors comprises feeding material for the anchors and the filaments from a nozzle at a flow rate in a range of 0.045-0.5 grams/minute (g/m).
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the flow rate is in a range of 0.045 g/min to 0.1 g/min.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating of the anchors comprises:
- feeding the material for the anchors and the filaments from a nozzle; and
- moving the nozzle or the substrate, or both the substrate and the nozzle relative to each other, controlling a speed of the nozzle relative to the substrate, controlling the nozzle's temperature, and controlling a flow rate of the material from the nozzle, so as to fabricate the pattern comprising the filaments disposed in a web.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein the pattern includes a two dimensional network of the filaments, the two dimensional network having a maximum length in a range of 5 cm to 10 meters.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising positioning the two dimensional network as an adhesive or a mechanical interlocking device.
20. The method of claim 18, further comprising positioning the two dimensional network as a thermoplastic veil reinforcing a composite, wherein the filaments comprise a thermoplastic.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Apr 19, 2018
Date of Patent: Mar 10, 2020
Patent Publication Number: 20190322037
Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY (Chicago, IL)
Inventors: Christopher A. Howe (Port Melbourne), Justin Hicks (Noorat), Michelle Louise Gee (Bundoora), Thomas Wilson (Port Melbourne), Adrian Mouritz (Melbourne)
Primary Examiner: William P Fletcher, III
Application Number: 15/957,050
International Classification: B29C 64/118 (20170101); B29C 64/209 (20170101); B29C 64/393 (20170101); B29C 64/106 (20170101); B05D 1/40 (20060101); B05D 1/42 (20060101); B05D 7/00 (20060101); B29C 64/20 (20170101); B33Y 10/00 (20150101); B33Y 30/00 (20150101); B33Y 50/02 (20150101); B29K 101/12 (20060101); B33Y 70/00 (20200101);